After a brief burst of excitement, everyone keenly grasped and summarized the two major benefits of the "Black Rock Guidance Technique" that Wan Haihao had already outlined.
Just as Ma Ran finished guiding all thirty-one members into refining Inner Qi, Su Qiangwei entered the cafeteria looking utterly drained.
She staggered along, appearing completely listless. She had clearly spent the full six hours before the Black Rock Stele, only coming over to the cafeteria afterward.
After wolfing down her meal, she recovered some of her energy.
Following the principle of treating others kindly, Su Qiangwei quickly blended into the group and became fast friends with the members, who were still in a state of excitement.
"Is that all the strength you've got?"
"No, wait. You're a grown man, and that's all you can do?"
"You can't even beat a girl like me at arm wrestling?"
"You don't seem very capable..."
Su Qiangwei was the one who truly understood the essence of balancing work and rest!
After dealing with every one of these members who had just refined Inner Qi, she looked at their pained expressions and felt refreshed. Her head no longer hurt, and her temples no longer throbbed.
As for Ma Ran...
Su Qiangwei looked him up and down. After serious consideration, she still didn't dare challenge him rashly.
She was afraid of embarrassing herself.
"If you run into any problems in the future, you can come ask me."
"I'll do my best to solve them."
After smiling and saying goodbye to everyone, Ma Ran quickly left. He refused to waste even a moment, as though time itself were chasing him. He absolutely wouldn't allow himself to slack off in the slightest.
Even earlier, when Su Qiangwei had used an arm-wrestling contest to prove to the members who the real big sister was, he had merely pretended to watch. In reality, he had been studying something that nobody could make heads or tails of.
Su Qiangwei gave a light snort.
In any case, it wouldn't be long before they met again.
She had heard that this afternoon, some seniors from Fulan Academy would be coming over.
They would bring advanced equipment and experience to support Caolu Academy's efforts to build a team of superpowered talents.
Ma Ran, that guy...
Su Qiangwei understood him far too well.
That man who liked to toy with people's hearts absolutely wouldn't miss a scene like this!
She only had to look at the grateful expressions on the faces of the Caolu Academy members nearby to know.
Whether it was a doctoral student like Wan Haihao or a junior member who had only just started middle school, the moment Ma Ran was mentioned, their faces filled with admiration and worship.
There wasn't even a trace of jealousy!
Everyone had already realized that they and Ma Ran were on completely different levels!
Although they were extremely confident in their own intelligence, what was there to compare with Ma Ran, that terrifying existence who left people at a loss for words?
"You've given up, but I haven't."
The repeatedly defeated yet repeatedly determined Su Qiangwei curled her lips and silently encouraged herself: Only those who admit they're failures are true failures!
Ma Ran had barely left the cafeteria when she followed after him.
However, the members' discussions still lingered in her ears.
"Is Brother Ran at the Third Stage of Inner Qi now?"
"Didn't Senior Wan already ask about that this morning? Once eight acupoints are filled and become organ-like, one reaches the Third Stage of Inner Qi. The outward sign is accelerated cell division, which makes hair grow faster. That phenomenon only disappears upon reaching the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi..."
"I've memorized that characteristic."
"So... is Brother Ran really only at the Third Stage?"
"The way you used the word 'only' is rather subtle... Right now, aside from Brother Ran, there isn't even a single person in all of Caolu Academy at the First Stage of Inner Qi..."
"What I mean is... I suspect Brother Ran has already reached the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi. Otherwise, how would he know that hair stops growing so quickly at the Fourth Stage?"
"The devil is hidden in the details... Your observational skills are pretty good!"
"Now that you mention it, I suddenly remember that Brother Ran directly infused half an acupoint's worth of Inner Qi into me earlier!"
"Me too!"
"Then there's no mistake! The thirty-one of us each had half an acupoint filled, which means fifteen and a half fully filled acupoints' worth of Inner Qi was consumed. The Third Stage of Inner Qi alone couldn't accomplish that!"
"Think about it carefully. The Fourth Stage of Inner Qi corresponds exactly to sixteen acupoints!"
Su Qiangwei staggered as she reached the cafeteria entrance, her expression twisting.
How many days had it been?
Ma Ran had already reached the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi?
Why did that sound so much like a joke?
But facts spoke louder than words.
With ironclad evidence and airtight reasoning without the slightest flaw, the truth seemed to have surfaced!
Ma Ran had already reached the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi!
Of course, Ma Ran's total amount of Inner Qi could not possibly have filled half of thirty-one acupoints.
The "Black Rock Guidance Technique" originated from the multiplication trick he had gained through playing a role, and it possessed many marvelous applications.
Once this little trick was mastered perfectly, one could use a small amount of Inner Qi to guide any form of energy within the target's body—such as fat, liver glycogen, or ATP—and convert it into Inner Qi to fill their acupoints, allowing them to become partially organ-like.
The more thoroughly one mastered and comprehended the "Black Rock Guidance Technique," the less one's own energy it consumed!
Because this technique originated from playing a role, Ma Ran had reached its highest realm the instant he obtained it. He didn't need to start from scratch and slowly study or experiment. When guiding others to refine Inner Qi, his own consumption was minimal.
Even so, after guiding all thirty-one members into the basics, Ma Ran's Inner Qi had been completely drained.
At present, practically not a drop remained!
Yet the rewards this time were even greater than he had imagined!
Ma Ran had originally planned to lay the groundwork today before proceeding gradually, but he hadn't expected President Huang Weiguo to cooperate with his plan so perfectly and initiate a simultaneous livestream.
Members and staff from Fulan Academy, Green Lotus Academic Society, Yingchuan Academy, and other peer institutions on good terms with Caolu Academy had all witnessed Ma Ran's performance.
So...
This role-playing had achieved complete success!
Ma Ran had originally been at the Second Stage of Inner Qi. He hadn't cultivated during this period, and during the guidance just now, he had overdrawn his Inner Qi so severely that several acupoints had even begun to regress. They no longer appeared as miniature organs, causing him to drop directly to the First Stage of Inner Qi.
The more one paid, the more one gained!
This was an eternal and unchanging law!
The rewards from this role-playing had arrived faster than expected!
Under the guidance of the mysterious power, Inner Qi rapidly began to grow within Ma Ran's acupoints, filling them to the brim.
Four, six, eight, ten...
Twelve, fourteen, sixteen!
One new acupoint after another was opened up, rapidly transforming into mature miniature organs.
Ma Ran's Inner Qi realm was like a roller coaster.
Because of excessive overdraft, he had fallen from the Second Stage to the First Stage, only to soar upward again with the assistance of his role-playing ability!
He had advanced across an entire stage!
He had entered the realm of the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi!
Under the influence of his role-playing ability, all sixteen acupoints were filled in the blink of an eye and transformed into miniature organs capable of automatically generating Inner Qi!
"Originally, reaching the Third Stage of Inner Qi this time would have already met my expectations."
The corners of Ma Ran's lips curved upward slightly, delight filling his heart. "The Fourth Stage of Inner Qi..."
"An unexpected bonus!"
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